Vista security suite

[Bob Newman]

Can anyone offer suggestions as to the best security suite for Vista? I
bought a new computer recently it came with
a trial of Norton which is getting ready to expire. I use Cox Cable as an
internet provider and they offer a free protection suite but I am unsure of
its quality.

 

[Doug]

ESET's NOD32 has a great reputation, and I have used it for three years. Now
they have brought out ESET Smart Security Suite (http://www.eset.com/) which
(based admittedly on only one week's experience!) looks very promising. It
seems well behaved, is pleasant to use and doesn't slow things down
appreciably. In addition to inward firewall protection, it provides a degree
outbound firewall protection based on its own rules, but if you want to do
it interactively you can have it ask permission to connect and if you give
an application permanent permission that establishes a rule for that
application. ESET have a good attitude to their task and their customers,
and their prices are reasonable. I have no connection with them beyond being
a customer.

I have had unsatisfactory experiences with McAffee and Norton.

Doug

 

[Kayman]

Can anyone offer suggestions? I bought a new computer recently it came with
a trial of Norton which is getting ready to expire.

A number of experts agree that the retail AV version of McAfee, Norton and
Trend Micro has become cumbersome and bloated for the average user.
The retail version of Norton can play havoc with your pc. Uninstall it
using Norton's own uninstall tool:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
As suggested on the site, you may wish to print out the directions before
proceeding.
Or
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Norton_Removal_Tool_SymNRT_d4749.html

If the Norton removal tool doesn't work satisfactory use this:
Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Remove unwanted programs and traces easily
http://www.revouninstaller.com/
and/or
RegSeeker
http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
RegSeeker will remove all associated detritus (registry keys,files and
folders) from any application. I found this application user friendly and
very effective but suggest *not* to use the 'Clean the Registry' option.
Click onto 'Find in registry' and in the 'Search for' box type *Norton*;
The pertinent registry keys can then be safely deleted (just in case,
ensure that the 'Backup before deletion' is checked). Repeat the task by
typing in the Search for' box *Symantec*. You can then go on search and
remove associated files as well.
Then use NTREGOPT to compact the registry; Follow instructions.
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt

I use Cox Cable as an internet provider and they offer a free protection
suite but I am unsure of its quality.

Steer away from 'suites' and ZA!!!

You are not going to find anything better than the Vista FW and Vista in
itself due to the advanced features the FW and Vista are using.

"Personal Firewalls" are mostly snake-oil.
http://www.samspade.org/d/firewalls.html

Jesper's Blogs-
At Least This Snake Oil Is Free.
http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2007/07/19/at-least-this-snake-oil-is-free.aspx
Windows Firewall: the best new security feature in Vista?
http://blogs.technet.com/jesper_johansson/archive/2006/05/01/426921.aspx

Exploring The Windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/06/VistaFirewall/default.aspx
"If you try to block outbound connections from a computer that’s already
compromised, how can you be sure that the computer is really doing what you
ask? The answer: you can’t. Outbound protection is security theater—it’s a
gimmick that only gives the impression of improving your security without
doing anything that actually does improve your security. This is why
outbound protection didn’t exist in the Windows XP firewall and why it
doesn’t exist in the Windows Vista™ firewall."

Vista Firewall Control.
Protects your applications from undesirable network incoming and outgoing
activity, controls applications internet access.
http://sphinx-soft.com/Vista/

Real-time AV applications - for viral malware.
Do not utilize more than one (1) real-time anti-virus scanning engine!
Disable the e-mail scanning function during installation (Custom
Installation on some AV apps.) as it provides no additional protection.
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3
In fact, most of experts (incl. Norton) believe that scanning incoming and
outgoing mail causes e-mail file corruption.

Avira AntiVir® PersonalEdition Classic - Free
http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html

Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
(Choose Custom Installation and under Resident
Protection, uncheck: Internet Mail and Outlook/Exchange.)

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
http://free.grisoft.com/

ESET NOD32 Antivirus - Not Free
http://www.eset.com/
Have you seen these "extra settings for NOD32"?
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=37509

On-demand AV application.
(add it to your arsenal and use it as a "second opinion" av scanner).
BitDefender10 Free Edition
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html

A-S applications - for non-viral malware.
The effectiveness of an individual A-S scanners can be wide-ranging and
oftentimes a collection of scanners is best. There isn't one software that
cleans and immunizes you against everything. That's why you need multiple
products to do the job i.e. overlap their coverage - one may catch what
another may miss, (grab'em all).

SuperAntispyware - Free
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

Ad-Aware - Free
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html

Spybot Search & Destroy - Free
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Windows Defender - Free (build-in in Vista)
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Interesting reading:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136195/article.html
"...Windows Defender did excel in behavior-based protection, which detects
changes to key areas of the system without having to know anything about
the actual threat."

A clarification on the terminology: the word "malware" is short for
"malicious software." Most Anti-Virus applications detect many types of
malware such as viruses, worms, trojans, etc.
What AV applications usually don't detect is "non-viral" malware, and the
term "non-viral malware" is normally used to refer to things like spyware
and adware.

Some more useful applications:
Spyware Blaster - Free
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Rootkit Revealer - Free
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/RootkitRevealer.mspx

Crap Cleaner - Free
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
If Windows Defender is utilized go to Applications, under Utilities
uncheck "Windows Defender".

CW Shredder - Free
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/CWShredder.shtml

Good luck

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Can anyone offer suggestions as to the best security suite for Vista? I
bought a new computer recently it came with
a trial of Norton which is getting ready to expire. I use Cox Cable as
an internet provider and they offer a free protection suite but I am
unsure of its quality.

I'll start by saying that I don't think any security "suite" is a
good choice. It'd be better to use smaller, less-resource-draining
stand-alone products. Nor, when it comes to security, would I want to
place my trust entirely in the "hands" of the very agency (the ISP)
through which any exploits would be delivered. There's too much of the
"placing all of one's eggs in one basket" folly in that scenario for my
comfort.

I used, and recommended, Norton Antivirus and then Norton Internet
Security, for many years, on Win98, WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP, all without
any significant problems. (I had used McAfee prior to that. But it's
been several years since I've been tempted to try McAfee products. Their
quality seemed to take a steep nose-dive after they were acquired by
Network Associates.)

However, when my subscription to Symantec's updates for Norton
Internet Security came up for renewal (at a cost substantially higher
than the preceding year's subscription), I decided to try less expensive
solutions. I downloaded and installed the free version of GriSoft's AVG
(http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php ). It proved to be easily
installed, easy to use, and quite effective. Additionally, I was
pleasantly surprised to see a small but very noticeable improvement in
my PC's performance, once I'd replaced the Symantec product. Another
free (for personal use) anti-virus product is AVAST! 4 Home Edition
(http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html), which is what I'm
currently using without problems on Vista Business.

For a recent comparison of anti-virus products:

Retrospective / ProActive Test
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

As for a firewall, Vista's built-in solution is more than adequate for
most consumers' needs. While it's not quite up to the ease-of-use
standards of Kerio or ZoneAlarm, it has been improved over WinXP's version.

There are two interfaces for Vistas built-in firewall:

1) A simplified one accessed through the Control Panel that is the only
one most people see. Sphinx's Vista Firewall Control
http://sphinx-soft.com/Vista/) is a piece of freeware that makes the
Vista Firewall much more useful to the average user.

2) And the more advanced "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
(WF.msc), accessed via the Start Menu's Administrative Tools folder, for
the experienced user who wants more granular control.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Greg]

After using AVG's Suite for six months, I got tired of its "in your
fact" nags about what it was doing, and how it really did slow down a
quad-core 6GB system. I didn't like Norton 2007, but decided to buy NIS
2008. And not a single regret over doing so.

I also use Norton Ghost 12 for cloning and backups - cloning works 100%.

 

[Tooloose LaBlech]

I have had unsatisfactory experiences with McAffee and Norton.
Doug

Let me second that. My Toshiba lap came with McAfee's ISS pre-loaded. I
yanked it today. It's been causing Vista to blue-screen at boot. Yesterday,
Vista's post-debacle self-analysis told me quite explicitly that McAfee's
Realtime Virus Scanner was the culprit and that, furthermore, McAfee had no
fix for it.

Amateurs!

Do the research. Former McAfee Victims are two bits short of a class-action
lawsuit.

Sidebar: solely based on my experience with Symantec's Ghost 12.0 Image
backup, I will never buy a Symantec product either.

My recent experience with almost all retail software has been nightmarishly
similar. Clearly, the 15k Calcutta programmers aren't quite what they're
cracked up to be.

m

 

[Tooloose LaBlech]

I also use Norton Ghost 12 for cloning and backups - cloning works 100%.

Yea, the cloning works, but the RESTORE DOES NOT. Oh yea, it looks REAL
professional during the backup phase, but try to do a restoration from a
restore point. It accesses protected memory and Vista shuts it down. AMONG
OTHER ABSURDITIES.

ONLY THE LAST RESTORATION POINT WORKS and that is typically all that
reviewers do: a single backup and a resoration from that restore-point.

The rapidity with which Symantec gave me my money back without a peep of
defense or protest pretty much says it all.

You want image backup? Use PING. It's free and it works.

 

[JMS]

I cannot make Ghost work for cloning a Vista disk. the image seems to be
missing a bunch of info (including boot info even though I checked the mbr
box) and the copy is 70GB smaller in size). What do I need to do to make it
work? Any other product I should be using instead? (I tried Acronis and that
was even worse).
Thanks